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Music Review: Bernadette Peters in Concert - Edinburgh Playhouse ✭✭✭✭

Review by Anne Mackie

The overwhelming buzz in the auditorium before the (seemingly) ageless
Broadway Goddess took to the stage was nothing short of electrifying. As the
pre-set band, tuned up and a loud, bellowing voice uttered the words ‘Miss
Bernadette Peters’, the Edinburgh Playhouse instantaneously erupted!

And then she stepped out… Those legs. That hair. That dress... And most
of all, that elegant, sultry and seductive voice that we were all there to
appreciate.

The Diva had landed… A legend was in the house for what was her first
(and only) Scottish tour date.

Although billed as ‘Bernadette Peters in Concert’, one could argue that
the evening was more reminiscent of ‘An Audience with Bernadette Peters’. Why?
Because Peters' warm rapport and witty familiarity was both naturally endearing
and consistently engaging throughout the course of the concert. It was an
evening that was conducted (and performed) with poise, ease and panache from
start to finish.

What was most apparent throughout the performance was Peters’ supreme
vocal execution of both her most renowned musical numbers and those new
arrangements she had prepared especially for the tour. Her rendition of the
infamous jazz standard ‘Fever’ was sexy and refined whilst her revamped version
of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘There Is Nothing Like A Dame’ was so far from the
original it became energised, thrilling and engaging - exactly how every woman
should musically deliver a classic! However, the pinnacle and
‘standing-ovation-worthy’ moment of the night came when the ultimate Queen of
Broadway belted out Sondheim’s masterpiece ‘Being Alive’. Not only did it
highlight her unique husky, throaty voice that (still) impeccably leaps between
octaves, but it also proved that at 68 years old (yes, I know… WHAT?!) Peters’ vocal
control is an undeniable force to be reckoned with! At times, it did feel that
Peters was tiring a bit but her mesmerising talent in how to expertly ‘act
through song’ remained as flawless as ever. A masterclass in musical theatre
performance, if anything. Her renditions of ‘Mr Snow’, ‘Buddy’s Eyes’, ‘Losing
My Mind’ and ‘Move On’ proving a huge testament to that theory.

If we are being critical (and I admit, it feels like blasphemy!) it was
occasionally felt that the pace of Peters’ concert lagged at times. This could
be because the production was very ballad-heavy and could have benefited with
the inclusion of a few more up-tempo numbers. Undoubtedly Peters is a master of
the ballad (particularly the male ballad!) but on a personal note, I was itching
for a vamped up, sultry rendition of ‘Broadway Baby’ – a song that sums Peters
up perfectly! Similarly, I also hoped her astonishing version of the great
Andrew Lloyd Webber number ‘Unexpected Song’ may appear in the set list but
alas, it was not meant to be. A shame, but you can’t have everything.

Bernadette Peters is quite simply indisputable
theatre royalty – and her 2016 concert is the unparalleled reason why! She is
THE diva amongst divas, an acting singer and a singing actor. With unbounded
energy, grace and utter chutzpah, Ms Peters is irreplaceable. A force of
musical theatre nature… And one of a kind.